Unit doses of detergent are available for a variety of washing activities, such as clothes laundering and dish washing. The unit dose provides a pre-measured quantity of detergent that is easy to carry and convenient to use. The unit dose minimizes over-dosage of detergent and has proven popular with consumers.
One form of unit dose is the tablet, which has been in use for many years. Early examples of this type of unit dose included sachets that opened in the wash. The sachet had to be recovered at the end of the wash, which was inconvenient for the user. Therefore, water soluble sachets have been provided to eliminate the need for sachet recovery. Some forms of tablet use disintegrant materials that either swell or dissolve on contact with water. Other tablets use loosely sintered materials coated with a dicarboxylic acid based material for structural integrity. Still other examples use a water soluble container or skin that dissolves and disintegrates in water.
The various forms of unit dose generally require some time for water to release the detergent for cleaning purposes. In some cases the time required to release the detergent is longer than optimal. Furthermore, the various forms of unit dose generally increase the weight and bulk of the unit dose. In some cases, the unit dose can fail and produce an unpleasant mess, such as when a container or skin ruptures or a tablet becomes pulverized before use. The failed unit dose can contaminate other unit doses stored in proximity, such as in a common container, such that an entire package of unit doses becomes unpleasant to use.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a unit dose that reduces weight and failure rates of the unit dose, and methods of producing the same. In addition, it is desirable to provide unit doses that minimize the mess upon failure. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.